Vinyl Stains
 

Had the boat sitting at a marina for 5 weeks awaiting an engine rebuild and they must have left the cover off. It appears that vinyl is stained with small spots that on initial inspection look to be tar like. I have tried almost every product mentioned on here. The stains now appear to be a left over orange residue. Any and all ideas will be tried. Products tried so far include:

simple green
soft scrub
isopropyl alcohol
westleys bleach white
clorox scrub
Maguire vinyl cleaner
scrubbing bubbles
more that I can't recall!

HELP HELP HELP HELP!

Goof Off worked great for me. After you use it use a high grade vinyl protectant.

26ZX Donzi, I had the same problem at LOTO last year after I blew a head gasket and the boat sat around for 5 days with the cover on. It was bugs that crawled under the cover that got cooked when the sun hit it. I still have a few little left over orange residue spots that I wasn't able to get out, but I didn't try Goof Off like steelware is recommending.
Good luck, I hope it works!

Believe it or not, I've had great success using Sea Power Cleaner Wax for the really tough spots. Like steelware said, be sure to go back with a good vinyl protectant after using it.

Hey, Macklin and steelware.
What is a good vinyl protectant to use?

I really like the mequires cleaner/protector for protection. Some people swear by 303.

Heres what I have done with success. Use soft scub with bleach, dab it on the spots and let it sit for a while, use a small brush. You may have to do it a few times. And last, if everything else fails, use can use MEK, but remember, you can destroy it as easy as you can clean it with MEK. It is a solvent and actually melts the vinyl so you have to use a clean white cloth and just hit the stain lightly, one pass.

Good Luck

I've got the same problem but my spots were caused by someone leaving a rusty tool on the seat for awhile (my best guess). Nothing severe but they won't come out either. Any suggestions for that?

spray nine . diluted with water , i have been told that those small dots are spider's ****!

small dots are spider ****. at least that's what we think. i like to use soft scrub with bleach diluted with water to make a paste, i let it sit and do its work, then reapply as necessary. then 303 like hell. i use this same mixture on the deck (non-skid) of the scarab.

some times you can actually clean it with a orange the acid breaks dirt and grime.

For rust stains try putting lemon juice on the stain first and then putting salt (table salt) over the whole stain. Let it sit in the sun until it dries. Trust me, it DOES work.

I recently used Frenzy's Vinyl Protectant and was very pleased with the results. Almost slid right off the back of the boat after applying it. :rolleyes:

Best vinyl protectant I have tried so far is Frenzy Vinyl protectant. They are an OSO advertiser. Stuff lasts better than anything!!!

Macklin is right. Beleive it or no, Sea Power cleaner wax will take stains right out when everything else won't. Just wipe it right off and apply Frenzy protectant. This works.

Nothing against the frenzy or any other product. One of the reasons I liked the mequires is that it didnt make the vinyl slippery.

OOPS in an aersol can from Walmart will remove about anything. Can de-tar my oxford white superduty in 30 minutes. Labeled for tar, gum, crayon, lipstick, etc.

Also I was cleaning the sun deck of my outlaw one day trying to get the white-white again. My exhaust will discolor the back end of my sun pad. Nothing was working and a buddy walked by and said he had just the thing. Turns out he uses an outdoor patio furniture cleaner from Walmart. I tried it and it was as white as the day I bought it.

Has anyone been able to get rid of black shoe scuff marks off of white vinyl? And no, don't even think about getting in the boat with shoes on. These happened before I bought the boat, and they are the only flaws on the boat now. Anyone????

You'll probably laugh at this suggestion -- but I tested it again today---WESLEY's BLEACHWHITE White Tire Cleaner.

I had the drives and engines pulled from my boat last week and it seems like all mechanics in the marine industry enjoy tramping all over boat with geasry booats and leavining geasy hadnprints everywhere.

My white cockpit floor, engine compartment, white vinyl and white Imron paint were blotched with all the above and worse. I left the boat a little while ago and it looked like it had been detailed using that stuff.

It's the best fiberglass cleaner, stainless cleaner, vinyl cleaner, engine cleaner--and by the way it cleans tires and wheels (and showers, kitchen sinks, toilets) better than anything made---

BTW--I don't work for them---I just uise it by the gallon.

Poorsche

www.boatmat.com
:eureka:

If you haven't already set the stains with other products, our Waxing Frenzy! will remove just about anything from vinyl, as will our Shark Tower! without harming it.

I recommend that you stay away from using bleach, alchohol (it's meant for drinking, not cleaning), or any harsh/corrosive cleaners and solvents. You will dry out the material and the next time you get something on it, it will be even harder to remove.

Once you get it clean, protect is with Frenzy! Vinyl Protectant to reduce the problem of "things" getting inbedded into the vinyl.

Our protectant will not stay slippery for long. Once it is adsorbed into the vinyl, it will leave you with longer lasting protection with at least twice the UV protection of any other like product on the market.